


As the Clock Tolls Death

by MyShadesAndMyRedConverse



Series: In which, I apply my assumptions on the Danny Phantom universe [2]
Category: Danny Phantom
Genre: Gen, but I really couldn't help myself, dan is my child, dans an ass, i know this is pretty overdone, just a little bad touch, to freak Danny out
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-11-09
Packaged: 2018-03-25 07:20:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3801679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyShadesAndMyRedConverse/pseuds/MyShadesAndMyRedConverse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny is finally accepted, the star of Amity park and most of the world. He could finally relax— as much as a super hero can. But when a small mistake take a big turn for the worst, a certain time ghost is forced to let out untold evils free, contained in a little, tiny, thermos.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Paranoia](https://archiveofourown.org/works/475495) by [Adi_Black](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adi_Black/pseuds/Adi_Black). 



> this is, as you can see, largely inspired by the fanfic paranoia. while i will be making the plot similar(clockwork releasing dan because timeline bullshit), this story is solely mine and my characters will do different things then that of Adi-Black's. just to tell you

The past is haunting, the present is fleeting and the future is unknown. You can have intuition or dreams, but you don't know for sure it will happen until it does.  
  
Clockwork, of all ghosts, knew this very well.  
  
Past, present and future, merely a never ending book that he was able to flip back and forth between. Make sure that those who went astray from the path, didn't stay off of it for long. Though most people would think that the work of a god or a deity— ghosts controlled the world around humans, whether they knew it or not.  
  
But Daniel Fenton knew.  
  
The ghost boy— half ghost and half human— knew very well that weather could be controlled by ghosts, as well as sound waves, plant growth, shadows, and especially time.  
  
Clockwork had been on good terms with Danny. And Danny with him.  
  
If only the time ghost had looked past Danny succeeding in the fight against Phantom. If only he'd just looked past the Disasteroid and seen the outcome of Danny after those events. And as most would think, a time ghost usually never had to think of 'if only's. But even with divine omnipotent powers such as Clockwork's, some time lines were set in stone.  
  
And that was regrettably Danny's.

 

**AMITY PARK, PRESENT DAY**

 

Floating silently beside his friends as they made their way home from school, Danny stayed invisible rather than letting people bombard him and his friends with questions.  
  
The bad part about being a ghost superhero was that there were constantly reporters on top of him, trying to get a scoop or an exclusive interview. The good part was, was that he was a _ghost_  superhero, and could hide in plain sight. So the teen glided carelessly through the air, listening to his former girlfriend go on about one thing or another(mostly about how it was so appalling to her that her parents could just buy up a slaughter house despite her strong beliefs against the matter), making small little quips when he felt he was safe to and making the goth glare at nothing, only making Danny snicker.  
  
It was relaxing.  
  
No seriously crazy ghosts he couldn't handle, no parents blasting him and threatening to tear him apart molecule by molecule. This was the life Danny wanted. Where he was _needed_. Where he was accepted and where he could help those in need.  
  
Finally stopping in from of Danny's house, he dropped his invisibility, landing on two well worn red sneakers before the trio made their way into Fentonworks.  
  
Things, Danny thought, we're how they should be. And some part of him was right in that.  
  
Things— in his time line— were going how they should be, but that didn't mean his life would be easy forever. Not at all.  
  
Clockwork sighed, peering into the pool of ectoplasm that allowed him to view the teen, just barely sixteen now and happy of his newfound freedom and acceptance.  
  
He no longer had to lie to those he loved and he had somewhat mastered his powers.  
  
Even so, the time ghost knew what he had to do, despite how much he admired in the poor little ghost boy, so much more fragile and weak than the teen thought he was. Young eyes ageing rapidly looked towards the thermos, a sigh escaping him, his frown lines having frown lines, and then none at all.  
  
It would have to be done, he knew this, even if the Observants didn't. Even if Daniel himself didn't. But it had to be this way, it was always how it was suppose to be, Clockwork was just stalling.  
  
And Danny's resonating laugh snapped him out of his thoughts, eyes narrowing.  
  
Sam smiled just slightly when she managed to get a few genuine laughs out of her friend. He had been so serious lately now that saving lives was such a full-time job to him.  He'd managed to get away with disappearing at school now that his secret was out, making it easy for him to overwork himself with fighting ghosts day and night and just barely succeeding to get his homework done in between the interums. Both his friends were worried that he'd work himself so hard he'd become a full ghost.  
  
But it didn't last long, the halfa sighing as his fingers ran through his hair. "I'm so glad everything is just over. Plasmius is gone, my parents accept me.. Everything just fit into place.." he muttered, Tucker nodding. "I know what you mean man. I mean, we had to get a break sometime, am I right?" A small chuckle escaped Danny, laying back on his bed.  
  
That was— until his ghost sense went off.

 

**GHOST ZONE, CLOCKWORK'S TOWER**

 

Clockwork rolled the thermos in his palm.  
  
Dan was anything but trapped. If anything, he was right where he wanted to be. Clockwork knew very well that Dan was waiting patiently to be /let/ out, even if he could easily escape the metal chamber.  
  
The full-ghost was smug, and it wasn't an ideal thing to deal with, but his powers couldn't affect Dan anymore, not after he was taken outside of the time space continuum. So once he was let out, it was done.  
  
And as much as the time ghost wanted to aid Danny, it was his duty to follow what had to happen, even if he himself didn't even like it all that much.  
  
Thin, wrinkly lips pressed together, droopy eyes still bright with some sort of life, and filled with centuries of knowledge looking at the cylinder, unscrewing the cap slowly before he pressed the release button, watching the ghost form itself, a bit flustered from suddenly being let out from his cramped prison before an even grin made it's way onto his lips.  
  
"It took you long enough. What were you doing all this time?" he mused, a gloved hand on his hip as Clockwork looked back at him with an expressionless face. Mockingly, Dan pouted his bottom lip out before swiftly moving around the time ghost, his cape flourishing dramatically. He eyed Clockwork, ideas of torturing the ghost for wasting so much of his time(ha, get it?) waiting to let him out. Humming with some amusement in his voice while he practically danced around the tower with his graceful movements in the air, the full-ghost turned his eyes towards the ectoplasmic portal, eyes glowing a blood red at the sight of Danny— happy, fighting monsters and continuing to protect his city.  
  
Immediately his breathing picked up with a frustrated huff remembering their last encounter as well as his embarrassing defeat. It infuriated him to see that Danny was still, well, Danny. The teen was still Danny Fenton, ghost boy hero ready to protect his family and friends at all costs. His hands bawled into fists, balls of green fire burning brightly as Clockwork floated between the portal and the raging ghost, his hair moving rapidly with fury.  
  
"I know that you are more than ready to act upon your anger, Phantom. As you are prone to do. But, you still have a choice. Despite what you believe, you still have emotions besides anger and arrogance, so I must make certain that you make a choice. Do you really want to take revenge on the ghost boy after escaping your painful fate?"  
  
He spoke calmly and clearly, the time ghost managing to keep Dan's attention just long enough. And he was genuinely surprised when the other ghost paused.  
  
He could see the ideas swimming in Dan's head, see the memories that couldn't be anything but painful. But it was only Dan who knew if there was some semblance of grief in them still. Though it was highly doubtful.  
  
"You no longer need to murder his family to ensure your existence, and either way, you are free to do as you will. But whether or not you chose revenge will decide the path that this timeline will take." Clockwork continued, hoping that if there might be any sliver of humanity left within the ghost, he would find it and not ruin the life of the halfa, now relaxing back in his bed after a hearty battle, the portal swirling and obscuring his face a few times. His laugh echoed throughout the tower.  
  
And the sound made Dan sick, his contemplative face turning sour, irises glowing once again. Taking a glance at the portal, the full-ghost put on a pleasant smile that was surely from the mannerisms Plasmius left behind, an evil scheme already cooking by the look of his eyes. "Sorry to disappoint," He began, sarcasm dripping off his words. "But now that I can exist without that little brat, I think revenge sounds like a riveting idea." he almost purred, a grin forming on his face. "Ta ta." he chirped before diving into the ectoplasm, ready to carry out what the little pest deserved.

 

**AMITY PARK, PRESENT DAY**

 

It was Saturday now.  
  
Danny relaxing on his bed, had the house to himself. And it was glorious. He loved his family and friends, but Danny was a teenager and needed some space from his loved ones, even if that—in this case— just so happened to be two hours while Jazz and his parents went grocery shopping.  
  
With a heavy sigh, the lazing teen rose, realising that he was terribly hungry and in need of food since they left early morning before breakfast. He stretched while walking, a few satisfying pops making their way to his ears before the teen trotted down the stairs, stopping at the bottom one.  
  
He felt uneasy all the sudden, his stomach dropping, eyebrows furrowing in confusion. A thought came to his mind that it kinda felt like his ghost sense before Danny shook it off, slipping into the kitchen and grabbing a bag of chips to munch on until someone came home and cooked something.  
  
But between handfuls of food being stuffed in his mouth, his ghost sense alerted him, turning all which way to try and see what ghost had set it off now that the threat was confirmed.  
  
The halfa would have thought that it was a small ghost cowering somewhere, if it wasn't for the unsettling feeling that something was terribly, terribly wrong, making his mind scream at him, telling him to run. But that wasn't what superheros did. So he stood, the bag still in his hand as he wandered around, gasping when he bumped into a broad chest and catching himself before he could fall painfully on his behind.  
  
Danny almost thought it to be Plasmuis just because he knew that a ghost from the ghost zone wouldn't bother hide itself from Danny and stand where anyone could walk. But even the frootloop would have revealed himself by now, especially since the last time he saw him, Vlad was in space, wasting away. He would have definitely made himself known.  
  
Again the teen dawned a look of confusion, blue eyes widening at the familiar laugh that chortled out. He stumbled backwards, bag falling from his grasp and finding himself caught by another invisible barrier. A clone that grabbed onto him tightly before he could escape, not that the utter shock would let him.  
  
Dan made himself visible, a smug smirk dancing across his face as he watched the fear and confusion make it's way onto his younger self's. Again he chuckled, not bothering to walk as he glided towards the boy, getting a bit too close for comfort and pinching his cheek. "Well looky here. You're actually growing up, huh? Tell me, Daniel. How long has it been? Two or three years I'm assuming by how you've started to fill out." he said casually as if they were friends who hadn't seen each other in years.  
  
The teen squirmed away from the full-ghost's touch, only adding to Dan's amusement, tempted to continue his invasion just to annoy him before he finally backed off.  
  
Phantom waited a moment, wondering if Danny would return the usual banter, but he only glared with wariness.  
  
"Well you're no fun." Dan scoffed. "I'd think you'd be a little less of a bore, maybe have a few more intelligent comebacks this time now that you're older." he sounded almost genuinely disappointing that they wouldn't have any banter to speak of. "But I suppose my sudden appearance has shocked you, yes?" he mused, glaring when Danny still didn't answer, the clone holding him moving a hand to his throat and tightening around it just slightly.  
  
That scared Danny right back to reality, his scowl apparent, struggling in the copy's arms. "What do you want? If you want to kill me fine, but if you've come to hurt my family, I won't back down." he snapped, Phantom raising an eyebrow.  
  
"Ohh, testy aren't we?"  
  
"If you were still me, you would be too."

The full-ghost hummed in agreement. "True." he began pacing as blue eyes watched him, cautiously, waiting for Dan to make a move.  
  
A gloved hand ran through fire hair and he laughed once again. "Look at you. Being all mature, protecting your family, your city. You're straight out of the comic books. But how is that going for you?" Dan was stalling. He almost wanted the family to walk in and see the sight, Danny helpless and struggling. Their hero nothing but a helpless child, not the great 'Danny Phantom' that he was glorified to be. "How many hours of sleep do you get? How much time do you get to actually spend time with the family? Hmm? Being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be, right?"  
  
Danny frowned, knowing that he was tired from lack of sleep. The bags under his eyes probably showed that. The cocky grin on his older self widened as the teen's face told him everything that he needed to know to push all his buttons. It was funny how he'd forgotten how open he used to be about his emotions. "I mean it's just so much work being good."  
  
"Come on, Danny. You're already sneaky, cunning, manipulative. The only thing you have left to do is get rid of those pesky morals of yours." he continued, Danny's eyes flashing a bright green in response. "Before you'd finally be me."  
  
The halfa dared to send out an explosive snowball in anger, watching it melt once in got close enough to Dan rather than exploding, making both the Phantom's take a look of surprise.  
  
"Huh, I didn't even realise my ghost core was naturally cold." the full-ghost commented to himself, watching green energy overtake the boy as he tried to summon enough power for a repulsion field, but Phantom knew he wouldn't be able to muster enough in his human form, he was still only a boy and despite such well harnessed control he had gained, he was still too weak. Still, the clone holding him gave him a shock to short out him powers for a moment, causing Danny to drop to his knees, a sound of pain escaping.  
  
They could both hear the RV pull up into the driveway and Danny tried to scramble away from Dan when he saw they joyous look in his eyes, panicking as all the potential things the older self could do raced in his mind, making him sick while hands caught the boy easily, tightly gripping at him enough to bruise the pale skin.  
  
"No, get off!" he yelled, accidentally sending off a short ghostly wail to drive Dan back just enough for him to struggle free. Dropping down out of the grasp, he transformed quickly, floating up high in the air, hearing his family frantically try and unlock the door after hearing the commotion. Eyes snapping back to thin air, Danny growled in frustration at losing his opponent, ring of snow expelling all around from his body, watching as one edge dented and melted into mere water before he pounced, grabbing Dan and pushing him against the wall, earning a grunt in surprise.  
  
Danny's head perked up though, the door swinging open before he formed a shield, engulfing the group flooding through the doorway and trapping them in the hallway before they could make it to the kitchen. simultaneously, he pressed his palm to the elder's stomach, blasting him with no mercy as the impact of the strong move and short distance to fly made him jolt, eyes bulging for a moment before Danny was on the floor.  
  
The shield flickered, but still kept it's structure, Jazz getting worried.  
  
"Danny? Let us help!" she shouted, Dan chuckling quietly as his hand clutched Danny's neck, making the teen gasp and squirm, fingers helplessly trying to claw him away and forgetting his ghost powers in a state of panic. Of course, any full ghost would only find this painful, but Danny was too connected to his human self, still reliant on trivial things, like breathing and blinking.  
  
More concerned shouts could be heard from the hallway, the halfa's painful gurgles making it to their ears, the shield flickering again before falling.  
  
And Jasmine Fenton stopped at the sight once they were released, eyes wide as she gasped. But out of the corner of her eye, she saw her parents draw their ecto-guns, panic in her voice as she yelled "Stop!"  
  
And Dan grinned, eyeing Jazz for a moment before finally letting go of his younger self, who sputtered and hacked defenselessly on the floor, tear tracks down his face.  
  
"Jasmine, my dear." he chirped pleasantly, giving her a sickening smile. "And mom and dad. I wasn't expecting you until much later but.. While you're already here." Phantom continued mockingly, surprised slightly when his sudden blast was shielded by Danny's clone, the original still struggling for breath. He could even see the copy breathing harshly as well.  
  
Maddie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion when the ghost spoke, her body already in fighting stance despite her son's clone ready to protect. She would let nothing hurt her little boy like that. "Mom and dad?" she muttered, question in her voice. Dan only nodded, stroking his facial hair for a moment. "Hmm, right. Clockwork must have wiped your memories.. If not, you would have known that little secret a long time ago." he said, mostly to himself, head jerking towards the still hacking teen in his ghostly image.  
  
The clone floated there, glaring before he turned, splitting into two more before he overshadowed his whole family, making them turn intangible and escaping, Dan turning around to see Danny, sitting up and struggling to breath, eyes dark with hate.  
  
"Tch, smart. You've gotten a lot stronger now haven't you."  
  
"More than you know."


	2. Chapter 2

"Tch, smart. You've gotten a lot stronger now haven't you."   
  
"More than you know." Dan smirked, eyeing Danny up and down again, a hand perched on his hip as he smirked. "Mhh, you really have grown up. I'm curious to see what else you can do. How many of my powers you've developed."   
  
"They aren't _your_ powers. Nothing is yours. You exist out of time. My family is _my_ family, not yours. And my friends are mine. What used to be your past never happened, and it never will." the teen spoke harshly, scrutiny in his voice as his eyes glowered at the ghost before him.   
  
"And I will  _never_ be you."  
  
Dan only chuckled, his smile never leaving, unnerving Danny— though he would never show it. As he watched the man approach him slowly, his body moved defensively as he backed away just as slow. He almost jumped ten feet in the air when his back hit the kitchen counter on the other side, looking behind him for just a moment and immediately regretting it.   
  
Dan's hands were quick to slam onto the flat surface, trapping the half-ghost. Of course he could /try/ to turn intangible, but the likelihood of Dan stopping him was way too great for him to try something like that.   
  
"Never? Why? Because you promised them? Awwwh, how sweet." he patronised, going to prod the halfa's cheek, Danny moving his face away in defiance. "You must remember that your ghost half is still malevolent, correct?" he mused.   
  
Danny shifted uncomfortably, wanting to squirm as far away as he possibly could from the ghost. Still, that wasn't exactly very far while being trapped. But he'd managed to fly his family to a safe place before he gained the power back from his clones, and that was the important thing.   
  
Dan looked at him, seemingly waiting for an answer before continuing. "Okay, you obviously don't get it. Let me put it this way. Do you think Vlad was always so evil? You probably don't notice it now, but your ghost half has a very big influence on you. Eventually, you'll start doing things you wouldn't normally do, get angry more easily. Haven't you ever wondered why your temper is so much worse in your ghost form." he said this slowly, as if Danny needed the whole thing spelled out for him.   
  
But it already infuriated him to hear the words that came out of Dan's mouth. "What. Do you think I really don't know that? Last time you saw me I just started getting the hang of my powers. I may be bad in school, you and I both know that painfully too well, but I'm not an idiot." he snapped, looking away when he mentioned school. Cheating on the CAT was the whole reason that Dan existed. Danny thought he was so dumb, he was desperate to get out from under his sister's shadow. But now it seemed like she was living in his now that he was outed as the town's superhero.   
  
Irony at it's best.   
  
"I hear Phantom talking to me. Coaxing me to do things I wouldn't usually do. The worst part is, is that he sounds way too much like you sound now. But I won't give in. I haven't given in yet." he admitted, but his voice was still strong. Despite that, Dan still thought it to be the voice of a rebelling teenager.   
  
"Boohoo, mister superhero won't back down. Let's just see how well that goes after a few more years. I don't even have to do anything. Just kick back and watch you slowly turn into what you're meant to be. Sure, it'll take a little longer. But my point is, is that I'm still inevitable."   
  
Danny was tired of this. He didn't want to feel trapped anymore, he didn't want to feel threatened. "Stop patronising me."   
  
"Ooh, scary. An angry teenager is glaring at me."   
  
"What did I just say?"   
  
"It doesn't matter what you say, Daniel. You can't do anything to me. You and I both know I'll trump you no matter what you do. It's why you keep babbling like this. You're nervous, scared, so you're trying to stall by talking." He retorted, moving closer to Danny and making the teen press painfully into the corner of the counter. "You seem to forget that I've been through what you've been through. I still remember how I used to react to things. How you cope with things. And don't spout off with how 'I'm not you' because even if I'm not, I used to be."   
  
By this point, Danny could hardly breath without his chest pressing against Phantom's, jaw tightly clenched and eyes glowing an icy blue rather than their usual sky colour, or even their ghostly toxic green. He didn't feel... Right being so close to Dan. It unnerved him. "Why are you here. Just to mess with me? Hardly seems like it's worth your time when you could be destroying my city by now."   
  
The full ghost nodded with a chuckle. "True, true. But messing with you gets the reaction I enjoy. Fear is nice, but defiance is a challenge." his face moved close to Danny's ear, grinning when the boy's body froze up. "I want to destroy you from the inside out." he whispered, feeling him shiver, heaving out a slight sigh of relief when the full-ghost finally moved away to give him some personal space.  
  
"I'll see you later, Danny. Maybe we can actually have a real fight next time. I had fun watching you get mad like that." he muttered, suddenly transporting.   
  
Immediately the halfa dropped, curling up and clutching his hair. His eyes were wide, his breath quick and gasping.   
  
He couldn't believe that this was happening again.

 

...

 

 

 

 Danny retrieved his family the moment he calmed down enough, getting an earful from not only his parents, but his sister as well.

The teen just sat silently, eyes on the floor as they lectured him on using his possession powers on them and not letting them help. He bit his tongue to keep from exploding, but the icy words finally crawled up his throat, eyes glowing as he looked up at them.  
  
"I'm so very sorry that I don't want the people I care about dead because I was too reckless and I didn't get them to safety before the psychotic ghost could kill them. I'm sorry I tried to make sure that my parents and sister were away from the crossfire between me and the single most dangerous ghost to not only you, but the only ghost that I can't truly defeat. Why do I even bother to help humans if they don't even appreciate what i—" he exploded, his voice catching in his throat when he realised what he had just uttered.  
  
His now human fingers laced through his hair, pulling at it slightly as shallow breaths left him. "No.. Sorry, I'm.. I'm a human. I.. I'm sorry for yelling. I know you were worried..." he choked out, all three of the Fenton's looking at him with wide eyes.  
  
"Danny, are you—" 

"I'm fine. It's just him getting into my head. I guess only he would know how to do it.." He interrupted before his sister could speak another word.  
  
"Then if you're really okay, you should start by telling us what just happened. Who was that, why did that thing call us mom and dad." Maddie huffed, wanting to gain answers as quickly as possible. If this enemy /was/ too powerful for Danny, she wanted to know everything about him asap.  
  
"Mom, it's not that simple.."  
  
"Make it simple."  
  
Danny shuffled awkwardly, not sure how to put it. "I haven't even fully explained it too Jazz all the way I don't think I can be able to—"  
  
"Danny!"  
  
"Okay, okay.. Uhm, that was my future.. Self." he started, averting his gaze before going to continue. He didn't want to give them a chance to comment. "See, when I took the CAT's I was suppose to cheat on it, but if I did that, it would have caused all of you and my friends to die.. And I would have went to Vlad being there would be no one else that could understand me. Then I would have become so depressed and would have asked Vlad to separate my human and ghost half.. Then my malevolent ghost half would have ripped Vlad's ghost half out and taken it over.. Making him. Dan Phantom.." he said, the long-winded story keeping his family silent.  
  
"You said.. Would have.. That means—"  
  
"Yeah, it's not going to happen. A time ghost named Clockwork helped me to prevent that from happening and saved you guys, but... I still can't shake that. It's something that kinda drives me. The moment I saw him here, I knew I couldn't let him anywhere near you. He knows more than anyone else in the world how important you guys are, and how easy I could turn into him if you were gone."  
  
Maddie took a puzzled face. "But, how is he here if you changed the future?"  
  
"Don't worry, my future is fine. I managed to defeat him once, but when I captured him and gave him to Clockwork, he was taken out of all the timelines. So no matter what, he can't be stopped." he assured, still looking slightly awkward as his eyes shifted around a bit. "I hate that I don't know where he went, but he's just so much more powerful. He's got like, twenty years of experience plus ten more harbouring the two ghost cores and utilising them."  
  
His mom pulled him into an embrace, gently petting his hair as he clung to her a bit too hard for a sixteen year old boy to do when hugging his mom.  
  
"Oh, honey. The fact that you've had to fight every enemy to keep us and the city safe, including yourself just shows how much of a hero you truly are." she mumbled quietly, in a soothing voice only a mother could muster.  
  
And while she did that, red eyes glowered at the scene from just far enough to not trigger the teen's ghost sense. Stealth wasn't exactly Dan's strong suit, being he was used to getting his was by unstoppable power and brute force along with strategic plots to lead him to victory. Sneaking around was the last thing he'd needed in his future. But that was only a memory now, just like his old parents and friends.  
  
But that thought brought more anger into his soul.  
  
Ghost's were fuelled by emotions, it was ridiculous to think that he had none. Emotions and compassion were two different things, and Dan was definitely one to tell that difference.  
  
The pain and anger still lingered after the split, how could it not. He had lost everything in one fell swoop— his family, his friends. He tore out his humanity, and all that was left was anger, hate, arrogance. It was the thing that kept him running, along with the malevolent thoughts that never stopped. This was no excuse of course, he was still evil, but Plasmius was a huge influence in that factor.  
  
He leaned back with a sigh, closing his eyes and hovering invisibly over FentonWorks. There was some sort of... Weird feeling when he got close to the halfa, a feeling he was sure wasn't his. It frustrated him to see Danny the way he was. By the time Dan was sixteen, he had managed to kill hundreds, had all of Amity park shaking in their boots at the sight of him, and Valerie hiding out, trying to update her armour enough to defeat him— a valiant, though futile attempt.  
  
Still, Phantom couldn't help but admire how his future self had improved /without/ Plasmius' power to aid him. He'd managed to gain power after power and seemingly get closer to his full potential faster than anyone could imagine. It was almost scary how quickly the kid developed. Dan was sure that their meeting helped him improve like that. He always was better at learning by watching someone else do it. That's why it had taken Dan so long to master his ghostly wail.  
  
Being pulled out of his thoughts, the ghost watched Danny's parents burst out of his house, him following behind. He couldn't hear what exactly what they were saying, but they were certainly arguing.  
  
"Mom, I'm telling you, you can't help me with this. It's my fight!"  
  
"Danny, I'm not going to leave you alone on this."  
  
"But the one thing he wants most in the world is for me to be destroyed, and that means mentally. You.. You and my friends are what holds me together.."  
  
"But—"  
  
"Stop it Jazz. You guys need to leave /now/. Even if he follows you, he won't lose track of me and he can't be in two places at once forever. That would take too much energy from his core and leave him weaker than usual. I have a feeling he doesn't want to risk that after our last battle."  
  
Maddie smiled and she kissed his forehead. That sight burned in Dan despite his literal lack of compassion for that family at all. "When did you learn so much about ghosts like this. You continue make me so proud." she sighed, hugging him tightly before she followed Jack, who was walking out with three suitcases over to the RV. After some goodbyes, the Fenton's left their son alone to FentonWorks.  
  
And that was a great thing for Dan, who didn't even bother to follow them. He was after Danny now, he didn't need the teen's parents anymore.  
  
He would get his revenge, one way or another.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ahh and im finally back. a sufficiently shorter chapter than my others and certainly not my best writing but its probably because my urgency to get to the part ive been planning

**CLOCKWORKS TOWER, GHOST ZONE**

Silently, the wise ghost watched though the portal as the fight finally dwindled and Danny was abandoned.

This child did nothing wrong, and had to be punished for it. All because the time lines pointed only to this outcome and none other. No time manipulation could help him now.

**AMITY PARK, PRESENT DAY**

It was a nerve wracking knowing that Dan was out there able to destroy the city before Danny could even attempt to stop him.

The ghost could be trailing his parents who had left on his word that he would take care of it. It was the cusp of summer and there were only a few weeks of school left, Danny severely unprepared for final exams because of his ghost fighting, and unable to go to his friends for aid, too afraid it would endanger them. He really felt alone, and he had a feeling that was what Dan wanted. As the weekend went on the boy cooped himself up in the lab, thinking of ways he could defend his family, friends, and city. Hell, maybe even the whole world. Wouldn't be the first time...

There was a ghost shield around his house, and with his help, it was definitely ghostly wail-proof— a measure Danny insisted on and a good thing too. But the imminent threat of Dan cleverly breaking down and obstacle whenever he so please was keeping him alert. He was hardly telling his friends the situation as well, afraid they'd come running to try and help him, only vaguely excusing his families disappearance as a sudden— and highly unavoidable— trip.

Bored, and without anything but homework, Danny ended up laying on his couch, sprawled out and on the verge of drifting off. That was until his ghost sense went off. Sure it could be a ghost from the portal, but the same bad feeling was making his stomach toss like before and it made him rise, if not a bit groggy from his previous dosing.

He walked around his house, yawning while he checked on the still running portal, and some more when he peeked out his windows. What was he doing? Danny was hiding away and ignoring the people he loved. Sure, he could tell himself that he was biding his time, that it was for everyone's own good, but he still felt agitation bubble up from his actions. Since when was Danny someone who waited around for trouble to come to him? He confronted anything that was suspicious or dangerous to his city, and he shouldn't be here waiting to hear about Dan or wait for the shield to go down.

...

 

Dan was not particularly a creature of patience in the least. But a diligent watch he was, having swooped into Fentonworks just a moment before that pesky 'anti-ghostly wail shield' could go up, trapping him inside with the boy. It was amusing seeing the boy jump, his ghost sense going crazy in the Dan's presence and it was his main goal anyhow— to unnerve and break him. But it was new to watch Danny letting himself hide away rather then barreling in with little experience like he would have two years ago.

It was strange to know that Danny really was growing up, actually having an opportunity to live and be happy. The teen was actually maturing with not only his logic and knowledge but also his powers advancing with it — Danny's ghost half getting stronger and stronger—  and the influence on the young halfa was growing, Dan knowing the whispers and temptations would be loud and insistent. It was only a matter of time.

It was only when Dan found himself about to doze off in his wait for action that he decided to swoop in when he did, catching Danny at an inopportune moment for him.  
  
Perching himself in the lab, Danny sighed, rubbing his tired eyes. He had napped some since the whole big reveal, but he was definitely too anxious to get a full eight hours. Not that he ever did anyway. He was only lucky that ghosts were at an all time low in town. If they knew his situation, he couldn't even imagine the mayhem that would be caused in his city.  
  
But even as he ignored his ghost breath that was setting off several times an hour, he almost fell out of his seat when light and sudden fingers grazed him, transforming and rising in the air,  trailing away from the humoured laugh.  
  
"You know, Daniel, the trick to using a ghost shield is making sure the ghost isn't  _inside_ the shield." he commented, letting himself appear to Danny. "It was annoying waiting around for you to do something drastic and stupid. And low and behold you disappointed me. My have you really grown."  
  
Danny rolled his eyes at Dan's remarks, a glare set on his face. He didn't talk, shooting a strong ecto blast at the ghost who easily avoided it, retaliating easily with a nonchalance in his motions. He laughed as Danny struggled to dart away from the speedy hit, yelping when he fell right into an ectorope, pushing away and growling with effort. It was impressive that the kid was smarter, but it was still laughibly too easy to trick him into Dan's grip.  
  
As he thrashed in the rope, getting shocked as he did he recoiled when yanked closer to Dan. "What do you even want? You could kill me if you wanted to, so what do you want?" Danny snapped, freezing when the ghost chuckled, pushing the boy so he would collapse on the ground. "Who said I wanted to kill you? Hmm? Like I told you before.. I'm here to break you from the inside out. You. Not your family. Not your friends. As delicious as it would be to end their useless lives, that would only hinder my plans. And we wouldn't want your  _adorable_ innocence broken jut yet." as he said this he gripped Danny's chin, leaning down to sneer at the teen.

Before Dan could realise it, the halfa reeled back to kick him square in the chest, making Dan stumble back and distracting him just enough for the ropes to lose form, Danny lifting in the air once again. But it was short lived when thick gloved hands caught his neck, seeming to try and squeeze the life out of him.

Gasping like a fish out of water Danny flailed and clawed at Dan, throwing weakened punches as his arms were held— slowly falling limp as he lost more oxygen. It wasn't until Dan was sure the kid was knocked out before he discarded him onto the floor, using his thumb and smiling when he was gained access to the ghost shield. Turns out he was still a Fenton after all.   
  
After sufficiently trashing the system, Dan bailed to a safe distance where he could watch Danny awake in his hazy confused panic, stumbling up the stairs and examining the setting bruises on his neck that would disappear in mere hours.  
  
This was beginning to become fun.


End file.
